Pasta Puttanesca with Villa del Monte's Cabernet Sauvignon

In Murder Before The Bell Rick is having dinner with Mona, a woman whose estranged husband  may have killed the principal of Central High School.

"I hope that you don't mind my ordering," Mona said. "But this happens to be the best item on the menu. Puttanesca was created by the prostitutes of Naples to give them strength and stamina."

Rick Podowski and the Hefty Trio a group of four middle-aged overweight high school English teachers fight to save their friend accused of murdering the school principal. The story begins when Rick arrives at Central High School and sees the administration building engulfed in flames. Later, the police discover the charred body of the principal and as the police start to gather evidence to frame the acting principal, Rick and the Hefty Trio start their own inquiry. They discover that their friend and the principal are both involved in illegal activities with a former South Vietnamese Colonel who runs a language school on the campus every Sunday. The community loves the Colonel and is unaware that he owns a house of prostitution in the neighborhood and employs a local Mexican gang for security. A rival gang wants part of the action. The excitement continues as Rick and the Hefty Trio while working to solve the mystery indulge in gourmet Mexican, Irish, Italian and Polish dishes from their ethnic heritages, paired with unique wines from the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.

Rick's Pasta Puttanesca with Villa del Monte's Cabernet Sauvignon

Rick has always been amazed by the varied and types of pastas found in Italy. The Villa del Monte Cabernet Sauvignon has a complex bouquet and flavors that go well with this dish.

Serves 6

28 ounce canned chopped tomatoes

1 pound of linguine

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 medium red or yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 to 4 anchovies

2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

A pinch to 1 teaspoon or more of red pepper flakes

1/3 cup black olives, chopped or sliced

1-1/2 tablespoons capers, drained

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon of dried parsley

Bring a pot of water to a boil and then cook the pasta.

While the water is warming, heat the olive oil in a stainless steel or non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute, stirring or tossing frequently until onion is transparent but not browned. Add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes; continue to saute for another minute or two.

Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until heated through. Then, add the olives, capers, and herbs. Continue to stir until very hot to give time for the flavors to mix and develop. This takes about five minutes. Taste and salt if necessary.

Mix with drained pasta. This dish is best served with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Rick likes to serve this dish with a Caprese salad made from garden tomatoes, sliced fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.  He pours some olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the dish.

Villa del Monte Winery

John Overstreet and Neil Perrelli have continued to work in Silicon Valley high tech companies. Since they were neighbors, and both had a passion for making wine they joined six other families and an experienced winemaker to produce their own wine and this continued for about six years. The first wine was an excellent Pinot and this encouraged them to continue. Finally they decided to become professionals and they have been making wine under the Villa del Monte label since 2006.

They purchase grapes from the Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Clara Valley, and from Napa County. The Cabernet and Pinot Noir grapes come from small plots of land in the Santa Cruz Mountains managed by John and Neil. The grapes are pressed and crushed on site, and aged in French and American oak barrels in the forest-protected, solar-powered winery building.

When the wine is ready an army of over two hundred volunteers descend on the winery to do the bottling and the labeling. The winery enjoys huge support from the community because John and Neil donate a substantial amount of wine for charity events.

The winery production is 1,000 cases a year of Chardonnay, Cabernet, Malbec, Merlot, Merlot Dessert wine, Pinot, Syrah, Zinfandel, and Syrah Rosé. They have won many awards for their fine wines.